A.L. Kennedy 'against Scottish literature academy'

A leading Scottish author has voiced her opposition to a national academy to honour the country's writers.

Speaking at the Aye Write! literary festival in Glasgow, Indelible Acts author A.L. Kennedy said she cannot see the point of establishing such an institution and wonders exactly what it would achieve, the Herald reported.

'Would it be like the Academie Francaise? Would we just give each other money? I am just not sure what it would do, apart from getting you a new lapel badge,' she explained.

Plans for the academy were suggested in a report to the Scottish government by the Literature Working Group, which claimed it would celebrate the country's novelists, poets and cultural legacy.

Scotland has made a concerted effort of late to safeguard its 'incredibly rich literary heritage', including a proposal to fund writers' retreats in publicly-owned buildings.